Ukraine+-+Jessica+Rivera

= ** U k r a i n e ** = Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe with an area of 603,550 square kilometers. It borders Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, and Russia. It is the second largest country in Europe.



Population
Ukraine's population is of 44,854,06. In the past two decades, the population has gone from 52 million people (1990) to where it is today. This is a decline of over 7 million. This can be attributed to a very low birth rate and high mortality rates from drinking and smoking as well as the negative net migration. Birth Rate Currently, the birth rate in Ukraine is at 9.59 births/1,000. The deteriorating economy, poor health, limited access to proper health care, a transition from traditional family values to a more modern way of thinking, and the development in women's education have all become major contributing factors. This decrease in births has become such a problem that the government has begun offering monetary rewards to families for having children. Death Rate Ukraine's death rate is 15.76 deaths/1,000. One of the reasons for this is the deteriorating health of the people due to very unhealthy lifestyles. Since many lack proper nutrition, obesity and high blood pressure are common problems. A little over a third of the population practice excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. Ukraine also has a very fast-growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. All of these issues combined with a very inefficient and inadequate health care system have resulted in such high mortality rates. ** Net Migration ** The net migration for Ukraine is -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 meaning that there are more people leaving the country than there are coming in. The unfavorable economic conditions have made people leave in search for jobs and better living conditions. **Infant Mortality Rate** The infant mortality in Ukraine is 8.38 deaths/1,000 live births. Children who come from low-income families are malnourished and many do not have access to primary health care. **Population Growth Rate** Ukraine's population growth rate is -0.625%. Due to health issues the death rate is high and since the birth rate is so low, it results in a negative natural increase. That, combined with the fact that the number of emigrants is larger than the number of immigrants, has made the population decrease.

**Life Expectancy** Life expectancy in Ukraine for males is 63. 07 years, and for females it is 74.77. The reason why women live much longer is that Ukrainian women take exceptionally good care of themselves. On the other hand, there is heavy concentration of diseases among working age men including HIV/AIDS, cancer, kidney disease and tuberculosis. Ukrainians, especially men, also have a tendency for unhealthy habits such as the extreme consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Low quality healthcare plays a major part, since it isn't equipped to deal with the health crisis that they are going through. **Doubling Time** 70/-0.625 = - 112 The doubling time is not applicable in this case because the population growth rate is declining.

**Issues** One of the biggest issues in Ukraine right now is that it has one of the fastest rates of depopulation. Since independence in 1991, the population has dropped around fifteen percent. If this trend were to continue, it is possible that by the year 2050 the population will drop by around forty percent.

What stage of the Demographic Transition Model this country and is it an MEDC (More Economically Developed Country) or an LEDC (Less EDC)?
Ukraine is currently in Stage Five of the Demographic Transition Model since the population growth rate has become negative (-0.625%) due to birth rate decline, death rate increase and emigration. As far as economic development although there are a couples of indicators that it is an MEDC there are many more other factors that designate it as an LEDC. After all, Ukraine is poor, has a low standard of living, and its economy relies on primary industries.





**References**

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/up.html

http://13takama.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/country-report-ukraine.pdf

http://blog.euromonitor.com/2012/05/ukraines-population-in-rapid-decline.html